In need of a good soak
by BluLady
Summary: Hermione ponders the meaning of her Amortentia


**A.N... Im am extremely sorry this is late and un betad unforseen circumstances and all that jazz.**

**Entry for the "Love Is In The Air" challenge on the twin exchange.**  
**Prompts: sandal wood, amber and freshly mown grass **

**Pairing: Hermione/Draco **

**Disclaimer:I own? I wish**!

Hermione Granger was bored. She had been convinced repeating her final year at Hogwarts would be benificial. She was wrong. She wasn't learning anything new and it was irritating her, but she had not yet stooped to the level of recycling her old essays.. unlike some people she could mention. She had openly glared at the blonde sitting accross from her at the library copying last years potion essay word for word.  
"But you only got an E on it" she had pointed out.  
"_Only_ got an E?" he looked at her as if she were insane. Perhaps he had a point she frowned as she started a tedious essay on the properties and effects of Amortentia.

"Amortentia is the most powerful Love Potion in the world. It causes a powerful infatuation or obsession in the drinker. It has a distinctive mother-of-pearl sheen, and steam rises from it in characteristic spirals." she wrote carelessly.

She didnt need to uncork her vial to know what scents were awaiting her. It was always the same. Fresh cut grass, new parchment and toothpaste. She decided one smell wouldn't harm her, in fact it would probably calm her long enough to finish the blasted homework and relax. She was finding it rather hard to concentrate however and was unsurprised to find she was alone in the library, the other students having sought refuge outdoors enjoying the last of the good weather.

"It has a different aroma for everyone who smells it, reminding each person of the things that they find most attractive For example i smell frsh cut grass-"

She stopped writing and took another smell. There was something wrong. It was different. The fresh cut grass was there but instead of parchment or toothpaste she could now smell faint traces of amber and sandal wood. She stared at the vial for a few moments to process the new supposed she should have known better. After Ron and her's disasterous attempt at dating, they had come to realise they work best as friends. It was only natural that he wasn't what was most enticing to her any longer.

She was amazed to find she was almost relieved. It meant she could finally move on from the break up and start looking for the owner of these scents. She gave up on her essay as a bad job, deciding a walk would clear her head and allow her to ponder on the mystery man.

The freshly cut grass on the quidditch pitch called to her and she wandered over carelesly breathing in the smell as she watched the figures fly abover her. Quidditch practice. She had never understood the fierce passion everyone in the wizarding world held for the sport, but she could appreciate the taught bodies of the players abover her. She watched them until the began to land and snapped her out of her revery. As they walked past, completly ignoring her, she caught a whiff of someones aftershave. Vanilla with amber undertones. The group was so large however that she couldn't discern who it belonged to. At any rate they all appeared to be Slytherins, highly unlikely her mystery man would be one of them she scoffed walking back to the castle for tea.

The puzzle was still plaguing her and she knew she would be unable to rest until she had gotten an answer. A bath was in order. She smiled to herself. Ever since fourth year Harry had been a great advocater of thinking in the bath. The habit had rubbed off on her and it seemed like a perfect way to end her current ennui.

She grabbed her fluffy bathrobe and headed for the prefects bathroom. If she was going to do something, she was going to do it right. She was still deep in thought when she pushed open the door of the prefects bathroom and it was only when she was beside the tub and the aroma of sandal wood body wash hit her that she realised she had walked in on someone.

"Oh I'm terribly sorry, I didn't realise-"

"Are you stalking me Granger?"

"Malfoy?" Fantastic, she thought to herself. He was bound to hold this one over her.

"You were expecting the Easter Bunny?"

"Sorry, I was just trying to figure out who my new amortentia scents belonged to and I always do my best thinking in the bath and I didnt relaise there was anyone else in here-"

"You're babbling" he drawled, arching an eyebrow in her direction.

"Yes, well...I should go."

"Don't leave on my account" he smirked leaning back on the edge of the far side of the tub.

"Pardon?" "You obviously need a good... _soak_... if something as trivial as a love potion has you all flustered."

"But you're not leaving?"

"No. I don't suppose I am."

She stared at him for a few moments. "So you want to share your bath with me? The Mudblood?"

"Come now Granger, I thought we had put all that nonsense behind us. No alterier motives. Just two.._friends_..sharing a bath. Nothing wrong with that." his eyes sparkled with a playful mischief she had never noticed before.

"Right." she rolled her eyes and sat at the edge of the tub. "What do you smell?"

"Pardon?" he asked making his way back towards her.

She blushed at her impulsivness. "When you smell Amortentia, what is it you smell?"

He surveyed her for a few moments before answering."Apples, ink and singed hair. An odd assortment i'll find you agree"

"Well, yes." she admitted sheepishly.

"But I, unlike you, have deciphered what mine mean."

"Which is what exactly?"

He smiled impishly and nodded towards her wash bag. "You use apple shampoo and have done since first year." he smiled at her endearing blush. Then took her hand and turned it over."Ink because you always seem to have a splatter on your thumb and middle and index finger from writing constantly." he smirked seeing he was, again, correct."And singed hair, because you never tie them unruly curls back in potions class and as a result you tend to singe the endings quite alot." he whispered as he played with one of the frayed curls.

Her breath hitched as she stared into the grey depths of his eyes, hardly daring to believe it."How long?"

"Always." he whispered ferverently before leaning in and giving her the sweetest kiss of her life.

It made perfect sense really. All the arguing, stolen glances, jealousy. They had been building up to this moment for eight years.

"Draco?"

"Mmm?"

"What scent is your aftershave?"

"Vanila and Amber."

"Naturally."


End file.
